V845 boys' indoor track Athlete of Year: NFA's McAllister on the rise

NEWBURGH — Xaivier McAllister doesn't shy from the spotlight. He thrives under it.

Ken McMillan

NEWBURGH — Xaivier McAllister doesn't shy from the spotlight. He thrives under it.

When the Newburgh Free Academy senior competed in a pair of January track meets at the New York Armory, McAllister came away with two of the finest high jumps in Section 9 history.

On a trip to Idaho for the nationally renowned Simplot Games in February, McAllister tied the sectional indoor record with a leap of 6 feet, 10 inches.

He is convinced 7 feet, and beyond, is a real possibility during the spring.

"I am not afraid of pressure,'' said McAllister, the Varsity845 boys' indoor track and field Athlete of the Year. "I like pressure ... I can't explain why. I expect to get 7-2 and maybe higher.''

NFA coach Malcolm Burks is convinced, too, that McAllister will reach at least 7 feet this spring. McAllister started competing in the high jump only a year ago, so he's still learning the nuances. The 6-10 jump in Idaho convinced Burks that McAllister is headed in the right direction.

"It tells me that he really believed in himself,'' Burks said.

McAllister said it was exciting to perform well before a knowledgeable track audience in Idaho.

"I like the attention,'' he said. "It's not being cocky or anything, but it is great when people clap for you and they want to see you at a certain height. It is really exciting.''

The high jump is not a natural progression event, however. Quite often a jumper will clear one height and regress a bit before moving forward again — something even more pronounced in an inexperienced jumper such as McAllister.

At the state championships, for example, McAllister said he had one of his worst outings. It wasn't the pressure of being the No. 1 one seed, he said, but rather he had trouble getting his steps down in practice. He finished 14th in the Federation meet at 6-4.

"You have to keep focused,'' McAllister said. "If you are not focused, you are not in the game. I got my steps measured now and I am more focused, more confident and I'm going to try to get myself nationally known."

McAllister is entered in the high jump at the Mobile (Ala.) Challenge of Champions on the first weekend of April and the Penn Relays during the third week of the month.

Burks is going to expand McAllister's repertoire this spring because he envisions the senior as a multi-events athlete in college, something which is attractive to recruiters. This winter, McAllister ran the 55-meter dash just once and posted the section's No. 10 time. He is also ranked 10th in the section in the 300. In the spring, McAllister will work out in shot put and discus and maybe add in hurdles work to go along with the 200 and 400 relay.

"Pound for pound, he is one of the strongest guys on the team,'' Burks said. "I see him going to college and doing something like the decathlon.''

Tyler O'BryantSchool: Ellenville, seniorEvent: 55-meter dashCredentials: Ran 6.44 seconds in an OCIAA group meet, ranking fifth in state and 38th in nation. He placed fourth in state meet and won state qualifier, Class B meet and OCIAA meet. He placed 28th in 60 meters at Indoor Nationals.

Vincent BiunnoSchool: Valley Central, seniorEvent: 55-meter hurdlesCredentials: Ran 7.54 seconds in an OCIAA group meet. His time ranks fifth in state and 43rd in nation. He placed second in OCIAA meet. He won the high jump (6-3) at Class A meet, ranking third in section.

Taariq JonesSchool: Kingston, seniorEvent: 300-meter dashCredentials: Ran 34.49 seconds in the state finals, placing second. His time ranks fifth in state and 10th in nation. He won state qualifier, Class A meet and was fourth in OCIAA meet. He was second at 55 meters in Class A meet. He won the 600 in OCIAA meet. He placed 22nd in the 400 meters at Indoor Nationals.

Tom PapazicosSchool: Monroe-Woodbury, seniorEvent: 600-meter runCredentials: Ran 1:22.97 at state meet, placing sixth. His time ranks 20th in state and 43rd in nation. He was second in state qualifier and OCIAA meet and won Class A meet. He was second in the 300 at OCIAA meet and third in Class A meet.

Ray FarinellaSchool: Warwick, seniorEvent: 1,000-meter runCredentials: Ran 2:32.99 to win Class A meet. His time ranks 19th in state and 56th in nation. He won state qualifier and OCIAA meet. He won 1,600 in Class A meet and was fourth in OCIAA meet.

Alex CampanellaSchool: Eldred, juniorEvents: 1,600-meter run; 3,200 runCredentials: Ran 1,600 split time of 4:21.26 in 1-mile run (4:21.26), placing seventh at Indoor Nationals. His 1,600 time ranks 11th in state and 53rd in nation. He placed 15th at state meet, third in state qualifier and won Class A meet. At 3,200 meters, he ran 9:30.85 to win OCIAA meet; his time ranks 16th in state and 99th in nation.

Xaivier McAllisterSchool: Newburgh, seniorEvent: High jumpCredentials: Won Simplot Games with leap of 6 feet, 10 inches, which ranks first in state and fourth in nation. He won state qualifier and OCIAA meet. Also cleared 6-9 at Molloy Stanner Games and 6-8 at Hispanic Games. Ranks 10th in section at 55 meters and 300 meters.

Jamal BynumSchool: Middletown, juniorEvents: Long jump; triple jumpCredentials: Leaped 20 feet, 10¼ inches to place third in long jump at Manhattan Invitational, which ranks 75th in state. Leaped 45 feet in triple jump to place second at Bishop Loughlin Games, ranking 17th in state.

Randy HindsSchool: Kingston, juniorEvent: Shot putCredentials: Threw shot 51 feet to win OCIAA meet. His throw ranks 12th in state. He placed 30th at Indoor Nationals, 23rd at state meet, second in state qualifier and first in the Class A meet. In weight throw, he placed second in Class A meet and third in state qualifier.

Anthony GalazzoSchool: Pine Bush, seniorEvent: Pole vaultCredentials: Cleared 14 feet, 3 inches at OCIAA meet, placing second in tiebreaker. His jump ranks sixth in state. He placed 10th at state met and won the state qualifier.

Jeff NunezSchool: Ellenville, juniorEvent: Weight throwCredentials: Posted throw of 57 feet, 9 inches to win state qualifier, ranking sixth in state and 47th in nation. He won Class B meet and was second in OCIAA meet. In shot put, he was third at state qualifier and second in Class B meet.

Newburgh 800-meter relayNames: Isaiah Valentine (Sr.); Shaquille Wimberly (Sr.); Kyle Farrington (Sr.); Terrell Moore (Sr.)Credentials: Ran a 1:30.15 to place fifth at Eastern States Championships. The time ranks sixth in state and 25th in nation.

Newburgh 1,600-meter relayNames: Isaiah Valentine (Sr.); Shaquille Wimberly (Sr.); Xaivier McAllister (Sr.); Michael Garrick (Sr.)Credentials: Ran a 3:19.10 to place third at New Balance Indoor Nationals. The time ranks second in state and third in nation.

Warwick 3,200-meter relayNames: Ray Farinella (sr.); Grant Parrelli (Jr.); Aaron Peterson (Jr.); Jordan Burton (So.).Credentials: Ran a 7:47.04 to place seventh at New Balance Indoor Nationals. The time ranks third in state and eighth in the nation.

55: Anthony Hall (Cornwall, Jr.) 6.64

55 hurdles: Eric Wellmon (Wallkill, Sr.) 7.80

300: Isaiah Valentine (Newburgh, Sr.) 35.75

600: Taariq Jones (Kingston, Sr.) 1:23.56

1,000: Pat Rooney (Monroe-Woodbury, Jr.) 2:34.17

1,600: Grant Parrelli (Warwick, Jr.) 4:23.57

3,200: Paddy Grandinali (Warwick, Sr.) 9:33.32

High jump: Jonathan Carpenter (O'Neill, Sr.) 6-6

Long jump: Qiyam Green (Kingston, Jr.) 20-9

Triple jump: C.J. Clarke (Middletown, Jr.) 43-7.5

Shot put: Garrett Lapolt (Monticello, Sr.) 50-10.25

Pole vault: None (two first teamers)

Weight throw: Tim Wilson (Washingtonville, Jr.) 56-1

800 relay: Middletown 1:31.54

1,600 relay: Monroe-Woodbury 3:24.55

3,200 relay: Monroe-Woodbury 7:56.07

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